Against All Odds
by Asulli
Summary: Story takes place after in the year 2016 two years before what we see in the series finale when they try to make it down the aisle yet again. Clois
1. I Spent the Night with Superman

A/N: Story takes place after in the year 2016(two years before what we see in the series finale when they try to make it down the aisle yet again). Clois, a bit of Chlollie. Enjoy!

Clark Kent stumbled back into the morning rush of the Daily Planet. He slouched his shoulders a bit-something he picked up to make him seem a few inches shorter- and adjusted his glasses.

"Excuse me. Oh pardon me. S-sorry." He mumbled over and over as he bumped lightly into people as he walked. He earned a few glares along the way just like always but to keep up his appearance, Clark Kent had to be the biggest dork in the world.

"Hey Mr. Kent!" Someone was calling his name, it was Jimmy Olsen. As he looked up suddenly, someone brushed past him swiftly, knocking the papers from his hands. "Oh jeez." Clark mumbled as Jimmy ran up to him.

"Aww CK man!" Jimmy exclaimed, but as Clark bent down to pick up the scattered papers, he stopped him. "Oh no you don't. I'll get those, you check out the front page! Miss Lane's really outdone herself this time!" Jimmy said excited, thrusting today's issue into Clarks hands before bending down to pick up the papers.

Clark stood up and opened the paper. There, on the front page was Lois' expose entitled 'I Spent the Night with Superman'. Clark read it at superspeed and realized just how good it really was. The piece was really amazing but really…personal. It was the first interview Superman had ever given and "Clark Kent" wasn't supposed to know a thing about it until now.

_Even though I was there during the entire interview to begin with. _He thought smugly. He felt himself feel a bit embarrassed about the name of the article. It was pretty suggestive and bold. But then again, that's Lois Lane for you. As Jimmy stood up, he grinned at Clark excitedly, handing back the papers.

"Isn't it great? I took the picture myself." He said proudly before taking the paper back. "It's really amazing that Superman _actually _gave Lois the interview. I mean, that makes the Daily Planet the first to have the inside scoop on Superman! Everyone will know everything about him all because of us! Mr. White is beside himself! I've never seen the man so happy." Jimmy blew through excitedly before backing away to the elevator, _probably to head down to the bullpen,_ Clark guessed as he waved a goodbye.

Clark felt a bit out of place after having read the article. He was still getting used to Clark Kent being the loser and Superman being the world's greatest. It was a bit annoying sometimes and he felt a bit like he did before Lois figured out his secret, back when she seemed to only have eyes for 'The Blur' and Clark Kent was merely the best friend.

He looked down at the papers in his hands, flipping through them pointlessly as he tried to make his way to his office. Suddenly, he felt himself run straight into someone else.

"Oh gosh! I'm really-" He stopped abruptly when he saw it was Lois. He smiled wide and adjusted his glasses a bit. "Oh, hi there Miss Lane." He said in mock nervousness. She rolled her eyes and grabbed him, turning him around.

"Come on Smallville!" She dragged him to their two desk office and shut the door, ensuring their privacy. Lois had both hands on her hips, looking a bit angry with him over something or another. _Man, she's sexy when she's angry. _Clark chuckled a bit to himself.

"Where the hell have you been all morning?" Lois asked impatiently. Clark smirked and sat down in his chair, Lois leaned against his desk, between him and the computer.

"Earthquake in California. I tried to wake you before I left but you kicked me and told me it wasn't time to wake up yet." He laughed a bit and took his glasses off and stood a bit straighter. All the stuttering and fake nervousness disappeared from his voice. Lois seemed to be a bit amused by his story and not in the least bit mad.

"I don't remember that but it does sound like me." She chuckled and looked down at him. With his glasses off, his deep blue eyes shined towards her. He looked at her, grinning and with a look of love and desire in his gorgeous eyes. _Jeez…Why does he have to look at me like THAT when we're at work._ Lois thought with a sigh. Clark seemed to be reading her mind as he slipped the glasses back on.

"I know what you mean." Clark said suddenly with his genuine farm boy smile. Lois looked at him skeptically. Had he recently acquired the ability to read minds?

"I didn't say anything Smallville…" She said with one eyebrow cocked in challenge. Clark knew the look well and laughed, leaning back and relaxing in his chair.

"You think you have to speak for me to know what you're thinking? Jeez Miss Lane, you must not know me as well as you think." He said with a smirk. She leaned over and punched his shoulder lightly, mainly for her own good. If she hit him too hard she'd only end up busting her own hand. He laughed and rubbed his shoulder mumbling and "ow" which made Lois smile. Of course he didn't feel it at all but since the gesture was one she did a lot, it had become habit to act human and pretend it hurt.

"I saw your article." Clark announced to his fiancée, pulling her out of her thoughts. She wished she could have said she'd almost forgotten about the piece, but with all the praise she'd been getting from it, she hadn't forgotten at all. She was just waiting for him to bring it up first.

"What did you think?" She asked brightly but she could already tell that he was feeling a bit weird, probably about the title, that and the fact that now the entire world knew his origins. She knew it'd be weird to hear the term Kryptonian and Kal-el thrown around as if it hadn't been the secret of the century. But then again, it wasn't Clark Kent's origins, it was Superman's. Clark Kent was just the mild mannered reporter born and raised in Smallville, Kansas in the cornfields doing farm chores and there weren't many who knew otherwise.

"It was really well-written, captivating, revealing, no major spelling errors…" He teased playfully before standing up and filling the gap between them, catching her off guard. "But did you _have _to call it 'I Spent the Night with Superman'?" He whined curiously. She knew he was going to be this way about it which is why she had already planned out what she was going to say to him.

"Well I did didn't I?" She asked him suggestively, making him stare at her wide-eyed. "I spend the night with him every night." She said simply with an accomplished smile at Clark's dropped jaw.

"I-I…Y-you made it sound like you _slept_ with him!" He stuttered out of genuine nervousness, emphasizing the word slept to get his point across and let her know that they were no longer talking about innocent sleeping. Lois smirked at her not-so-innocent farm boy.

"Well we _did_, didn't we?" She rebutted. Clark's jaw dropped as his mouth went dry from shock. Lois cracked up laughing at his very Clark-like reaction. This was definitely one to tell Chloe and Oliver the next time they visited. _Chloe would have gotten a kick out of this and Ollie will laugh harder than I am now_ Lois thought to herself with a laugh before Clark's lips came crashing into hers.

Clark kissed her hard but passionately, taking advantage of her parted lips and deepening the kiss. Lois, although caught off guard a bit, kissed him back with just as much as he had been putting into it. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, making her whimper softly before he pulled away abruptly. She stared at him with her jaw dropped. He _never _kisses her like that in public, _especially_ at work! Clark smirked and brought his lips up to her ear.

"It's not nice to tease me _Miss Lane._" He said in a husky voice before planting a lingering kiss on her neck. It always drove Lois _insane_ when Clark called her Miss Lane like that. And he knew it! Lois scowled at him as he grinned.

She was about to tear him a new one about how evil that was and how he wasn't getting any for the rest of his life-clearly a bluff- and how maybe he should be thinking about how he can make it up to her when she caught his eye. He tilted his head, a serious look falling over his face. Someone was in trouble. "Go." Lois said simply with a small smile. Clark kissed her cheek softly before running off.

Lois ran to the window and watched Superman fly past. She smiled brightly to herself. There was always later to torture Clark and make him pay. But for now, she had to chase after a bigger lead…the rumors of her article being considered for the Pulitzer!


	2. Offline

**A/N: Thanks for all the awesome reviews guys! :)**

"Smallville! I need coffee if you expect me not to fall asleep in the next five minutes or so. It's been quite a day since you left me all alone with your emergencies! Mainly praise for my article…But there's something better! Something that rhymes with praise, Perry gave me a raise!" Lois ranted as she set her stuff down on the counter and kicked her heels off. She looked around what appeared to be an empty apartment and sighed_. Clark must be out flying around and saving the day. _Lois sat down on a stool and closed her eyes for a moment when she suddenly smelled coffee.

"Caramel Macchiato, triple shot with whip cream?" Clark offered her the large coffee with a grin. Lois opened her eyes and smiled at him brightly, accepting the cup and taking a sip.

"Mmm…perfect." She sighed contently and let her hair down as she began to finally unwind and relax in her home with the man she loved. She saw him doing the same, he removed his glasses, setting them on the counter, and unbuttoned his vest before shrugging it off and loosening his tie. She could now see his blue Superman suit sticking out from beneath his dress shirt which made her smile; now they were comfortable. It was a daily routine for them, the moment where they could both just relax in the comfort of their own home.

"Perfection's a hard thing to get your hands on." Clark recited with a sparkle in his eyes. Lois grinned widely. It was a part from her wedding vows from when they tried to make their way down the aisle the first time a good five years ago. She looked down, admiring her engagement ring, then back up at him. She grabbed his tie and pulled him a bit closer, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"I think I did a pretty good job." She teased. "I mean, sure, you come with your own set of issues but when it comes to the big picture, I'm pretty sure you're as close as humans get—Oh right! That's probably because you're an alien." She joked, sticking her tongue out at him playfully and laughing. Clark smirked at her. _This alien comes as close to perfection as he possibly can when it comes to her, _he thought distantly.

"I aim to please." He said slyly before kissing the corner of her lips, tasting the faint taste of the coffee she had been drinking. "Regardless of my species." He kissed her again, deeper this time. She wrapped her arms around his neck right before he pulled away from the kiss, but still staying close. "And I know for a fact that _you _have no problem with this alien's methods of pleasing." He added confidently before pulling away and taking in Lois' blush that she was trying desperately to cover up with a glare. Clark chuckled.

"Relax Lois. It's not-" He was caught off by Lois jumping up and kissing him. He quickly found his balance and kissed her back passionately as she nibbled on his lip, driving him crazy. He was about to pick her up and whisk her away to the bedroom when she suddenly pulled away and stared into his now dark, lust-filled eyes. She brought her lips to his ear, her feather-light breath tickling his neck.

"It's not nice to tease me…" She repeated softly. "…_Mr. Kent_." She added with a soft kiss on his cheek before gathering up their things and walking off to put them in their proper places. Clark stood there in slight shock.

_Damn…This woman is going to drive me just as crazy as I enjoy driving her._ He thought with a smirk, watching her scurry around the apartment. He sighed contently and reached for her coffee, bringing the cup to his lips to take a sip.

"Kent! Take one sip of _my_ coffee and I swear to God I'll slip Kryptonite in your waffles!" She yelled from the other side of the apartment. Clark choked a little from her threat before laughing. That was _his_ Lois.

Just then, Clark's ears perked up as he heard trouble. Lois walked back into the kitchen and looked him over with a sigh. "I know that look. Better hustle Smallville." She said with a small smile, but Clark knew it was forced; it didn't quite reach her eyes. With a quick brush of wind, he disappeared and reappeared in his Superman suit. He tilted his head and gave her a small smile.

"I'll be back soon. Wait up for me?" He asked with a smile. He leaned in and kissed her quickly but passionately. When he pulled away, Lois' smile lit up his mood and he grinned widely at her.

"Be careful…" She said as he flew from the window. "…Clark." She added softly with a twinge of worry in her voice. Anytime he left was hard because there were always the very few times when he didn't come back. But she took a deep breath and started on any work she could find to occupy her time.

_This guy is anything but subtle…_ Clark thought with a crash to the floor. He had run straight into Brainiac and at first, he was caught off guard because upon their last encounter, it was Brainiac 5 that he had come in contact with and _that_ Brainiac had been trying to help him. This one from the past? Not so much.

"Give it up _Superman._" He spit out. Clark didn't like the way he had said his name, nothing about this Brainiac was a good thing and he knew that he was strong so he knocked him down and flew upward, pulling out his cell phone.

"Watchtower! I need back-up. We've got Brainiac from the past." He barked into the phone, keeping his eye on the ground below where Brainiac seemed to be knocked out. _For now maybe…_

"The let's release Zod and recreate hell on Earth Brainiac? Gee, I sure have missed that creep." Chloe replied sarcastically. "Alright, I've sent out the memo. I'll try to hack into him from here, seeing as he _is _a computer." He could hear her typing away at her keyboard already.

"Thanks Chloe. You're a lifesaver!" He spoke quickly, seeing Brainiac stir on the ground below. He hung up the phone and braced himself for attack. Having the high ground and a split second of the upper hand, he dived down from the sky, arms forward towards Brainiac.

Just before impact, Brainiac looked up, locking eyes with Clark and smiling. He held his glove-covered hand out towards the oncoming hero, palm up. A reflecting shine caught his eye only a millisecond before hitting him. _What the hell is he-_

With a crash, both man and computer crashed deep into the concrete but only Brainiac was able to crawl out of the hole. He stood at the edge, looking down at the severed cape that laid at the bottom. He laughed to himself and walked away with a sully smirk.

Chloe was typing as quickly as she could on the computer when a window popped up, pulling her out of her hacking.

"Superman is offline." The voice of Watchtower echoed as Chloe watched Clark's small red dot disappear from the map of Metropolis. She stared at it before tinkering around with the equipment. It _must_ be a malfunction. At least…she hoped so.

She pulled her headset on and called Oliver. "Green Arrow, what is Superman's location?" She said as professionally as she could muster. She tried to breathe and keep her cool while waiting on his reply but it didn't work. "Arrow, do you read?

"Watchtower, I don't see him anywhere. Impulse was able to slap a tracker onto Brainiac so he should show up on your database. No sign of Supes though. Can't you just look him up on the map?" Oliver sounded calm and maybe even a bit confused, obviously not grasping the severity of the issue.

"I can't find him Arrow. Offline…" She finished slowly. Since their new system, 'offline' meant dead. But there was no body, so there was still hope somewhere, right?

"I found his cape…There has to be another explanation though. We'll find him. Arrow over and out." Oliver barked back. He looked down at the cape and sighed. "Where are you Clark?" He spoke softly.

Chloe sighed and pinched the brim of her nose, feeling a headache coming on. She didn't want to alarm people with Clark Kent/Superman's disappearance but there was one person they'd have to tell, no matter what. The last thing she wanted to do was call her cousin.

Lois yawned from her spot on the couch, feeling more tired that usual. She stretched out and looked at her watch. He'd been gone for almost 4 hours now. Where could he be? He said he'd be home _soon_. She sighed as she gathered her papers up and clicked the television off.

In their bedroom, she smiled upon seeing Clark's glasses and vest laying neatly on top of the dresser. He'd be back soon. Suddenly, her phone started ringing, making her nearly jump out of her skin. The caller ID said Chloe…calls from Chloe when Clark was supposed to be off being Superman were never good things. She hesitated before flipping the phone up.

"Where is he Chloe?" She asked a little too loudly, a bit too harshly. But this was strange, even for him, so there had to be some sort of explanation.

"Listen Lois," Chloe hesitated. "Clark is…missing. But we're gonna find him. I've got the whole team on the look-out." Lois' heart dropped. Clark didn't just _go missing_. And with Chloe's high tech tracking devices, he should never be lost!

"I'm on my way." She blurted out. The last thing she was going to do was sit at home while Clark was _missing._

"Lois, that really isn't-"

"I don't give a damn. I'll see you there." Lois snapped, shutting her phone angrily.

"Where are you Clark?" She whispered softly as a tear slid down her face. She was going to find him. She _had_ to.


	3. Welcome Home Amnesia Boy

Clark Kent laid motionless on his back in the abandoned alleyway. Though his eyes weren't open, he could tell it was night time as the cool breeze blew as the city light shined. He groaned from a slight ache in his head. Even though he was invincible, he seemed to experience these "headaches" more and more in times of stress. He opened his eyes slowly and looked around.

He stood up carefully and looked around. He was still in his Superman suit when he braced himself to fly upward. He needed to get home. Lois _had _to be worried sick about him by now. When he reached the apartment, he tried to get in through the window but it was lock. _Huh, that's odd. Lois never locks this window…_

He shrugged it off and opened the window by force, revealing to him an empty apartment without furniture or anything. He looked around skeptically. "Lois?" He called out unsuccessfully. He sighed and ran a lazy hand through his wind-blown hair. How long had he been out? Only a couple hours right? She couldn't have packed up and left in that short of a time, plus she wouldn't have. It just didn't make sense. But he'd figure it out after he got into some normal clothes. And with that, he took off towards Smallville, Kansas. He was sure his mom would have some of his old clothes out at the farm.

He supersped up to his old room; it looked exactly the way he remembered from when he lived there, which was weird considering a good bit of that stuff was supposed to be at his apartment right now. He shrugged and slipped out of the Superman suit, supersped his way through a shower and quickly pulled on a pair of faded blue jeans. Looking around, he couldn't find a shirt so he folded up the suit and shoved it into his dresser drawer under his other pairs of pants for safe keeping; the cape was severed off and God knows where anyways.

He held his towel up at his head, drying his hair as he made his way downstairs in search of a shirt of some sort. Suddenly, he heard something in the kitchen. Was his mom home this weekend?

"Mom? Is that you?" He called out as he appeared into the kitchen with his towel draped over his shoulder. His jaw dropped when he saw Lois standing in the kitchen pouring herself a late-night snack of cereal. She looked up mid-bite with a scowl.

"Smallville? What the hell!" She yelled at him and Clark froze. She was a lot more intimidating than he remembered. When she jumped out of her seat and marched toward him, he took a half step back. _What's wrong with me? This is my fiancé…I should be happy, even if I am confused._ He thought as a sudden smile fell over his face.

"Lois!" He exclaimed happily, filling the gap between them and wrapping his arms around her, bringing her happily into his embrace and nuzzling her neck gently. Even if it hadn't been long, he missed her a lot. When he pulled away, he noticed her expression of shock mixed with annoyance. He cocked his head to the side and lifted his eyebrows as if to ask 'what?' and show his confusion.

"Why the fu- No…First, where the hell have you been? We've been going crazy since you went 'missing'. And second of all, what was with the hug? I mean, don't get me wrong, we're friends-sorta-but that doesn't mean I want you to greet me like _that._ And finally, will you please put on a damn shirt! Jesus!" Lois yelled at him, flailing her arms at him. Clark stared at her, clearly confused, but then got it. She was upset about him not being home on time. This was all some elaborate scheme to get him back. He chuckled.

"Listen Lois. I know I scared you, and I'm sorry. My job as…_you know,_ it gets dangerous. And I don't know how long I've been gone and all, but I'm here now, so try not to tear me a new one, okay? I missed you…" He leaned in and kissed her cheek softly. "And I was under the impression that we were a lot _more_ than _friends_." He added with a wink, walking around the kitchen aimlessly. She looked speechless.

"Come on Lois. Where's all our stuff? I'll just superspeed it all back to our apartment and then you can 'spend the night with Superman' or Clark Kent or whoever, mkay? I've missed you and I'm exhausted. Let's head home." He concluded, rubbing the back of his neck. That's when Lois looked as if she was going to lose it completely.

"Listen here Smallville, I don't know if its amnesia again or if you're on something but this army brat is confused. What the is superspeed and who the _hell _is Superman? And you and me, are NOTHING more than friends and if you try to kiss me again, I may just drop kick you and leave you for Mrs. K to find! _This _is home!" She moved over to gesture out the window. "Look, there's the barn, the fields, cows, all of it! Even Shelby is out there laying around somewhere!" Clark's face twisted in confusion.

"Lois…Shelby's dead." He informed her softly, resting his hand on her shoulder. He knew that even though Shelby had been terrible for her allergies, Lois had taken the dog's death a few years ago with a heavy heart.

Lois stared at him and opened the screen door, calling the dog. Clark frowned at her attempt, feeling badly but then, to his surprise, Shelby trotted through the door, tail wagging. Clark's jaw dropped as he glanced between the dog and Lois. Then it hit him…she didn't know _anything_ about him or who he was. He panicked and grabbed her shoulders, making her look him in the eyes.

"Lois…who am I?" He asked suddenly, a serious look on his face. Lois struggled to try and get out of his grip but when he didn't budge, she rolled her eyes.

"Clark Kent." She answered with a huff. Clark shook his head.

"No, what other names do I go by?" Lois shrugged.

"Smallville?" She guessed. What was he looking for? He was acting stranger than ever before. _It must have something to do with his being gone _she thought carefully. Clark sighed deeply and shook his head, he released her and moved over to the couch, plopping down onto it with a groan. Lois followed him slowly.

"What's going on Clark? You disappeared weeks ago and everyone's been worried sick. Chloe has been the worst to be honest. And here you just show up as if nothing's wrong? Plus you have some insane theory that we're an item and that you have some sort of other name? What happened to you? Where have you been?" She asked gently. This was the Lois he knew, the compassionate side of her anyways. Where _had_ he been? But more importantly, where was he now?

"The last thing I remember was fighting Brainiac and then crashing into him, he was holding something that glowed and-" He stopped dead in his tracks. Something that glowed! That was it! That was the key! _Or the ring…_He thought suddenly. The Legion Ring! That would explain how Brainiac was in the future and how Clark was now stuck in the past.

"Lois!" He exclaimed, making her jump. "What year is it?" He asked quickly. Lois looked at him as if he was crazy.

"Whoa whoa whoa Smallville. What is Brainiac? And why were you _fighting_ him? I've never seen you hurt a fly. I'm not even sure you _could_ hurt a fly…" She ranted on and on just as Clark remembered the old Lois had. She always annoyed him to death back then and he obviously got on her nerves too because in his time, getting an earful from Lois was usually saved for the special occasions when he did something to deserve it. This seemed to be just because he was there and breathing. He stopped her suddenly.

"What year is it?" He asked again, interrupting her. She stared daggers at him, making him feel uncomfortable as he swallowed hard.

"2009." She answered before getting up and walking out of the room. It all made sense. Lois being…Lois, Shelby still alive, the apartment being empty. He was 'missing', probably stuck in the middle of that hell of a training session at the Fortress. _What a nightmare…_

Clark stared straight ahead, letting it all sink in when he was suddenly hit in the back of the head by a blue wadded up t-shirt. "Ow…" He mumbled out of habit, taking the shirt with his hand.

"Put it on Amnesia boy. Just like last time, I'll take care of you. Let's look on the brightside, at least you're only _half_ naked this time." She joked with a laugh. Clark smiled as well as he pulled the shirt on over his head. _How the hell am I going to get myself out of this one? _

"Come on Kent! Let's head out to the barn to see if anything jogs your memory!" Lois yelled from the kitchen where she had been cleaning up her cereal bowl. Clark sighed from the couch. _Great…Lying to Lois. I almost hate myself right now. _He thought as he stood up and followed her out the back door. He _had _to find his way home before he screws up history. _That_ he knew for sure.


End file.
